9 Steps to Better Presentations: Part 6 – Tell a Story

NOTE: This is the sixth in a series of posts taken from our guide 9: A Simple Guide to Better Presentations. Can’t wait and want to get it all now? Download the eBook for FREE here.

In their book Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath explain that stories inspire us to act. We love hearing about a team that overcomes impossible odds to win (the 1980 USA hockey team) or someone who crosses boundaries to make a better world (Rosa Parks) or people who solve a problem in an innovative way (NASA engineers on the Apollo 13 mission).

Why? They motivate us. In the stories of others, we visualize ourselves overcoming the odds, making a better world, and solving the problem.

Stories are also emotional, and we remember what we feel.

Stories engage us in ways that facts and figures don’t. Don’t just give a talk; invite your audience into a story.